Historic assaults

A Ridgetown senior faces charges after an investigation into historic intimate partner violence claims.

Police were called Monday afternoon over an incident in Chatham. Investigation by officers revealed that someone had assaulted a 63-year-old Chatham woman. As the officers dug deeper, they learned of multiple historic assaults, police say.

A Ridgetown man, 70, is charged with assault to cause bodily harm and assault.

You are NOT supposed to be there

In yet another case of a local resident apparently ignoring court-imposed conditions, police arrested a man Monday night in Chatham.

Chatham-Kent police got the call shortly after 10:30 p.m. for a report of an unwanted man trying to get into a residence on Adelaide Street in Chatham.

Police arrived and the officers saw a man knocking on the front door, trying to make contact with the people inside.

It turns out the man is not supposed to be in contact with one of the people inside that residence, police say, thanks to two court-imposed conditions.

As a result, a 36-year-old Chatham-Kent man is charged with two counts of failing to comply with an undertaking.

The post Tuesday Chatham-Kent police briefs first appeared on The Chatham Voice.

Four people are in custody after Chatham-Kent police received a report of a home invasion taking place in Merlin this morning.

Police say the report indicated there was a firearm in play. Officers contained the area and ultimately made the apprehensions.

The investigation is continuing, police say, adding they believe there is no worry about public safety in relation to the matter.

The post Home invasion in Merlin? first appeared on The Chatham Voice.

By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Having your book nominated for the both the Giller Prize and the Trillium Book Award is no easy feat.

Neither is being the number one top seller on Amazon for Canadian short stories.

But in the past few weeks, Wallaceburg’s John Gardiner has achieved all three.

Titled ‘Life in the Deep End, Stories from the Soul,’ his latest release features 19 short stories showcasing what the author calls “emotional thought-scapes.”

And while they are tales about ordinary people dealing with ordinary things, Gardiner said the stories are far from ordinary.

“Because they paint vivid emotional images in the reader’s mind,” the author said of his published work. “That’s the idea. I write like no one else you’ve ever read, I guarantee it.”

Part of the attraction to his work is its accessibility, Gardiner explained.

“People with a Grade 6 education can read my writing and enjoy it and people with university degrees in English can enjoy it,” he added. “My writing is what you call every-person writing for everybody.”

Michael Davie is Gardiner’s new, and first, book publisher. The president and CEO of Manor House Publishing discovered Gardiner’s writing by chance while surfing the internet. He liked what he saw and asked Gardiner to send him some samples.

Gardiner forwarded some of his work and that submission morphed into Life in the Deep End.

Davie said he was “quite taken” with Gardiner’s talent.

“He’s a remarkable writer and the work is very engaging,” the Ancaster-based publisher said in a telephone interview, calling Gardiner a “very effective” writer.

“I was drawn right in,” Davie explained. “It held my interest.”

Publishers are the ones who nominate writers for the Giller and The Trillium. They are only allowed to submit one title for the nomination. Davie zeroed in on Gardiner and Life in the Deep End.

The winner of the Giller Prize, Canada’s top fiction award, receives a $100,000, while the provincial Trillium Book Award winner receives $20,000. The Giller starts off with a long list of nominees in September. This is winnowed down to a short list in October, before the winner is announced in November.

For Gardiner, 73, finding a publisher and having his work recognized at the highest level, is rewarding. He’s been writing for a half century, founding the “Probe” newspaper at his high school in his hometown of Hanover. He went on to achieve a Masters in Library Science at Western and did a turn as a reporter in Delhi.

In 1985, he was hired as the editor of The Wallaceburg News, a job he did for eight years. Following that, Gardiner worked on various iterations of news media – both pre- and post-Internet – becoming a well-known voice in the region. He founded the CK Times and ran it for 10 years before retiring 13 years ago.

News reporting informs his fiction writing in a number of ways, Gardiner said, helping him become skilled at writing dialogue.

“I don’t mean to brag, but I write dialogue particularly well, because I spent 40 years interviewing people and writing down what they said,” Gardiner explained, adding newspaper deadlines also helped him become a “first draft” writer.

Life in the Deep End is Gardiner’s third book. His first two were self-published, and while he’s happy with them, having a publisher is a whole new writing ballgame.

“I’ve been chasing a publisher, like for 40 years,” Gardiner said. “The big difference between having a publisher is you can enter contests normally closed to those who self-publish. It opens the whole world up to you.”

Gardiner is pleased about the nomination but isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“You have to be realistic,” he said. First of all, it’s only a nomination but it’s still a big deal. I’ve got a long way to go before I win anything,”

But it’s gratifying nonetheless.

“For my publisher to have the confidence in me, to enter me in the Giller competition…I feel pretty good about that.”

Gardiner, also a well-known “retired” bass player, is a cancer survivor hit by some serious health issues in the last five years. However, he’s buoyed by his recent success.

“For years it’s been just John. It’s been me out there against the world. But now I have a publisher. If I get hit by a truck tomorrow, my book is still out there.”

Life in the Deep End can be purchased at manor-house-publish.com; on Amazon; or by emailing Gardiner directly at gardiner@kent.net.

The post Wallaceburg author up for prestigious awards first appeared on The Chatham Voice.

By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Worried about the Dresden landfill?

Mark Sept. 21 on your calendar.

That’s the date York1 Environmental Waste Solutions will face off against the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in a Chatham courtroom.

A full day has been scheduled for the hearing where the issue will be “argued on its merits,” according to Ontario Superior Court Justice Jasminka Kalajdzic.

The hearing will take place 10 months after the company launched legal action against Chatham-Kent’s position that the GTA-based business must adhere to the municipality’s planning and zoning requirements.

York1 is seeking to expand a landfill just north of Dresden. The company is saying it doesn’t have to follow C-K’s requirements and should be allowed to move forward with its plans, which includes building a regenerative recycling facility, expanding the size of the landfill proper, and constructing a ponding system for soil washing.

The municipality’s argument that it does have jurisdiction over planning is based on a letter stating as such from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks issued last year.

Legal counsel for the two parties made a brief appearance via videoconference March 17, with 32 people attending.

The battle against the York1 project at 29831 Irish School Rd. began in February 2024, when it was discovered by the public the company was planning a massive expansion at the derelict dumpsite only a kilometre north of the community.

In 2024, Ontario’s former Minister of the Environment decreed that a full Environmental Assessment was warranted, but that was reversed by the Ford government in June 2025.

The post Trash talk hits the courts Sept. 21 first appeared on The Chatham Voice.

Store robbed, cop assaulted

A Chatham man faces serious charges in the wake of a Sunday afternoon series of altercations.

It began about 4:25 p.m. when police say someone stole from a Grand Avenue West business and pushed a staff member to the ground to get away.

Officers searched the area and spotted a man on Baldoon Road who matched the description provided. Police say the man fled and officers followed on foot.

They caught up to the fellow on McNaughton Avenue. That’s when he resisted arrest, police say.

The officers ultimately used a Taser on the suspect.

A 28-year-old Chatham man is charged with robbery, assault of a peace officer, and assault with intent to resist arrest.

Alleged arsonist injure by fire

A man police say set a fire at a Chatham business Sunday night is up on charges…after a trip to the hospital.

Police were called about 11:50 p.m. Sunday for a fire at a car wash bay on Grand Avenue East in Chatham.

The fire was quickly doused and police cared for a man who was on scene and had potentially suffered smoke inhalation.

He was taken to hospital for treatment.

While there, police laid charges after officers reviewed CCTV footage that they say implicated the man in starting the fire.

A 62-year-old Chatham man is charged with arson.

Ridgetown compound rummaged

Chatham-Kent police are looking for help solving a commercial break in near Ridgetown.

Sometime over the last month, police say someone got into a business-owned compound on Spence Line in Ridgetown, cutting the fence to enter.

Damage from the break-in is estimated at between $5,000 and $10,000.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Const. Nicholas Milord nicholasm@chatham-kent.ca or 519-436-6600. Anonymous callers may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) and may be eligible for a cash reward.

Just stay away

A Chatham man is up on charges for going where he wasn’t supposed to, police say.

On Sunday, about 11:25 a.m., police learned of unknown individuals wandering around the front of a privately owned building.

Officers arrived at the location and recognized the individuals, police say. Subsequently, police learned that one of them, a 32-year-old Chatham man, was on conditions to not associate or communicate with the other individual involved in this occurrence.

The man is charged with failing to comply, as well as failing to attend court.

The post Monday Chatham-Kent police briefs first appeared on The Chatham Voice.

Two Chatham-Kent residents face charges in the wake of weekend arrests by the OPP in Essex County.

The first took place Saturday morning, shortly after midnight. A traffic stop on Manning Road in Lakeshore led to a slew of charges.

Police found drugs in the vehicle and believed the driver was impaired.

As a result, a 52-year-old Chatham man is charged with impaired driving, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Fast forward about 26 hours and police pulled over a vehicle on Wellington Street in Leamington.

A 36-year-old Wheatley man is charged with operating while prohibited, driving a vehicle with no valid permit and failing to have insurance.

The post Monday OPP briefs first appeared on The Chatham Voice.

By Matt Weingarden
Local Journalism Initiative
Tilbury Times Reporter

As conflict intensifies in the Middle East and fears of a wider regional war grow, several Chatham-Kent residents say they are living in a state of constant worry for family and friends caught in the turmoil.

With air travel disrupted, borders tightening and communication becoming increasingly unreliable, the uncertainty is weighing heavily on local families with ties to the region.
For Iranian-Canadian residents in Chatham-Kent, the anxiety is even more personal. Reza Farhadi, who has lived in Chatham for more than a decade, said his parents remain in Iran, where tensions have risen sharply amid fears of retaliation and further military escalation.
“My parents are in Shiraz, and every time I call them, I’m afraid it might be the last time I hear their voices for a while,” Farhadi said. “They tell me not to worry, but how can I not? The whole region feels like it’s on edge.”
Farhadi says the uncertainty is made worse by the possibility of communication blackouts.
“There have already been disruptions,” he said. “Sometimes the internet slows down or calls don’t go through. When that happens, my heart stops. I just want to know they’re safe.”
He said many Iranian-Canadian families in the region are experiencing similar fear.
“We came to Canada for peace and stability, but our hearts are still with our families back home,” Farhadi said. “It’s painful to watch events unfold from so far away.”
Local residents said they are frustrated by the lack of clear information about evacuation options, flight availability and the safety of civilians in affected areas. Some said they are relying on social media, international news outlets and sporadic messages from loved ones to piece together what is happening.

The post C-K residents anxious as Middle East tensions escalate first appeared on The Chatham Voice.

Firefighters from Chatham Stations 1 and 2 responded to a blaze Friday morning in the area of Sass Road and Polly Street.

Upon arriving on scene, crews discovered a camping trailer fully engulfed in flames, but were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

No injuries were reported.

The post Quick response first appeared on The Chatham Voice.

Fentanyl, coke seized at traffic stop

Erratic driving can get you noticed by police. Having illegal drugs in the car will get you arrested.

That was the case early Thursday morning in Wheatley. Police say an officer spotted a vehicle being driven erratically about 1:40 p.m. and pulled it over.

During the investigation, the driver was identified and the officer learned he was wanted on an outstanding warrant.

As part of the investigation, officers observed evidence “consistent with drug trafficking” inside the vehicle, police say. A search resulted in the seizure of more than 55 grams of fentanyl, 33 grams of cocaine, digital scales, measuring cups, a cell phone and packaging materials.

A 41-year-old Kingsville man is charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and one count of driving while under suspension.

The passenger, a 36-year-old Chatham-Kent woman, is charged with two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

He wouldn’t come out

It took two and a half months, but Chatham-Kent police say they have their 911 frequent caller.

On Jan. 9, police say the received five separate 911 calls over a period of just over an hour…all from the same individual. During these calls, no emergency was reported and the caller failed to provide any valid reason for contacting emergency services, police say.

The investigation revealed that the accused was also bound by a release condition prohibiting any contact with Chatham-Kent police, including 911, unless requesting emergency assistance, reporting a crime or addressing a public safety concern.

Officers went to the man’s residence with grounds to make an arrest. However, police say the man became unco-operative and refused to surrender to police.

So, they walked away and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Fast forward to Thursday. An officer located the man on Grand Avenue West in Chatham and made the arrest.

A 46-year-old Erieau man is charged with five counts of failing to comply with a undertaking.

The post Friday Chatham-Kent police briefs first appeared on The Chatham Voice.

A vehicle recovery attempt in the frigid waters of Erieau ended in tragedy March 18, with a Chatham man losing his life.

The diver went into the water that morning to help in connecting cabling that would pull the vehicle from the channel at the end of Mariners Road. That vehicle went into the water last November, while its occupants were able to escape.

However, at about 11:30 a.m. March 18, the vehicle recovery went south and police were called after the diver had not resurfaced.

A co-ordinated effort with local police, fire and the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit led to the recovery of the diver’s body the following morning.

According to multiple social media posts, and multiple sources contacted by The Chatham Voice, the diver was Gary Smith, 67, of Chatham. Smith was a very experienced diver, and ran Red Devil Scuba in Chatham in the past.

The post Diver’s body recovered in Erieau first appeared on The Chatham Voice.